Türkiye and Iraq chart roadmap for broader energy deal

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar met Iraqi Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair as the two countries work toward a long-term, comprehensive energy agreement.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar hosted Iraqi Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair and his delegation in Ankara, saying the two countries are taking their energy ties to a new and stronger level at a time when regional developments have made supply security more critical than ever.

Bayraktar and Khudair in a one-on-one meeting

Following a crude oil transport contract signed in August between BOTAŞ and Iraq’s SOMO and North Oil Company, the sides are finalizing a roadmap for a long-term, more comprehensive agreement, Bayraktar said, with joint working groups planned on oil and gas infrastructure, exploration and production, oil trade, refining and petrochemicals, and electricity.

The Turkish delegation at the talks

Talks between the Turkish and Iraqi delegations

He said extending the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline to Basra and raising its capacity would create a strong alternative to the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and that Türkiye aims for TPAO to play an active role in Iraqi fields beyond Kirkuk, to reach the 1 million barrels per day supply target cited by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and to make Ceyhan a global energy hub. Bayraktar added that Türkiye sees the Development Road as an "energy road" backed by oil, gas and power lines.